Ryan Boyer

Baseball Daily Dose

What to Say About Jorge?

He's put up a measly .165/.278/.349 batting line since retiring his catcher's mitt, and although he's hit six home runs, only one of those has come since April 15. His season-long slump resulted in Yankees manager Joe Girardi penciling his name into the No. 9 spot in the batting order for Saturday's game. Only, Posada decided he would rather not play at all than hit at the bottom of the order. OK, he actually first tried to tell us that he asked out of the lineup due to a back injury, but it was clear at that point he was just doing damage control after reports surfaced that he was "insulted" by the move down in the order and that he "threw a hissy fit" in Girardi's office.

It appears things have been smoothed over, as Posada apologized to Girardi before Sunday's game and was also slated to have a talk with GM Brian Cashman at some point. The DH is now simply chalking the whole thing up as having a bad day, and although he wasn't in the lineup again Sunday, it appears that was mainly because Girardi simply preferred Andruw Jones against dynamite lefty Jon Lester.

We all know that things tend to get built up to be bigger than they are when it involves anyone wearing the pinstripes, and that is no different here. But, the reality is that Posada's job security isn't that safe anymore. The Yankees got good news recently on Eric Chavez, who should be back sooner than originally expected, and he, along with Jones, give the Yanks two other veteran DH options. There's also Jesus Montero, who is tearing it up at Triple-A.

Ultimately, Jorge needs to focus on improving that .165 batting average rather than worry about his feelings being hurt.

And now, the rest of the Daily Dose…

* When Jose Bautista came out of nowhere to belt 54 home runs last season, most people fell into two camps when evaluating his future.

1) Those that dismissed the season as a fluke and felt he would come crashing back to earth.2) Those that felt the season was legitimate, but thought he had no shot to ever approach that kind of lofty total again.

But, here's a crazy thought: What if he is actually this good?

Bautista hit three more over the boards Sunday, giving him 16 on the season – three more than anyone else in baseball. And it's not just the longball, as Bautista is currently leading the league with his .368 batting mark, and he's also striking out less and walking a lot more. He's here to stay, folks.

* Chipper Jones is dealing with knee problems again, and this time it's not the one that he had surgically repaired that's giving him issues.

Jones missed a few games late last month with soreness in his right knee, and he was a late scratch from Sunday's lineup after complaining of lingering pain in the knee. Come to find out, he actually has a small meniscus tear and will miss at least a handful of games. The Braves are hopeful that a cortisone shot will be enough to calm the knee down, but, given Chipper's past injury woes, as well as his age, we can't be so sure. It's possible he'll need a scope of the knee, which would sideline him for 2-3 weeks.

* Aroldis Chapman had his worst meltdown yet Sunday, as he walked four batters – including one with the bases loaded – while recording just one out in the win over the Cardinals. Just five of his 23 pitches went for strikes. He's now handed out 12 free passes over his last 1 1/3 innings.

Reds manager Dusty Baker has stated previously that sending Chapman down to the minors wasn't an option, but it might be time to reconsider. The guy obviously has a golden arm, but he needs to find his command and confidence right now, and doing it at the major league level probably isn't the best thing for him.

National League Quick Hits:Albert Pujols could require a precautionary X-ray Monday after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch Sunday, but the Cardinals suspect it's just a bruise … The Reds will go with a rotation in left field moving forward, with Jonny Gomes, Chris Heisey and Fred Lewis all seeing action … Colby Rasmus sat out Sunday with pain below his right rib cage. He'll be evaluated Monday, but the Cardinals don't think it's serious … Jason Heyward is hoping to return to the starting lineup Tuesday after testing out his shoulder Sunday by hitting off a tee … Brad Lidge is hoping to throw off a mound this week. He's shooting for a mid-June return from his shoulder injury … Chase Utley looks to be in line to return by the end of May if he continues to progress. The Phillies plan to monitor his playing time closely upon his arrival … Jose Contreras will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday and should rejoin the Phils bullpen soon. He might not regain his closer role immediately, though … Brandon Beachy is expected to miss at least a month with his oblique injury. Julio Teheran is expected to replace him in the rotation, but Teheran would probably make just two starts this month due to off days … Shane Victorino is expected to miss a few more days with a hamstring injury but is likely to avoid a DL stint … Randy Flores has opted out of his minor league deal with the Padres. The Yankees reportedly may have some interest in him … The Cubs are considering demoting the struggling Tyler Colvin to Triple-A in order to give him regular playing time.

American League Quick Hits: The Twins' Jose Mijares has landed on the disabled list with a sore elbow … Mark Teahen will test out his oblique before Monday's game before the White Sox decide whether or not he needs a trip to the disabled list … The A's plan to bench Hideki Matsui for all interleague games played in National League parks … Josh Hamilton will have a CT scan on his shoulder Wednesday and could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment that night … Andrew Bailey had a successful extended spring training appearance Saturday and is likely to start a rehab assignment this week … Grady Sizemore hasn't played since last Tuesday due to his knee injury, but the Indians remain optimistic he can avoid a stint on the DL … Tsuyoshi Nishioka is slated to begin a rehab assignment soon, but he's expected to need at least 10 rehab games before rejoining the Twins … Mariners manager Eric Wedge will stick with Brandon League as his closer for the time being despite League blowing each of his last four opportunities … Nelson Cruz was able to test out his quad by running the bases for the second straight day Sunday. He'll begin a rehab assignment Monday before returning later this week … Julio Borbon will miss at least the next two weeks with a hamstring injury. Endy Chavez has been called up and will start in center field against right-handed pitching … Adam Lind hasn't played since May 7 due to a back injury and, although it appears he'll avoid the DL, it's not clear when he'll return to the lineup.

He's put up a measly .165/.278/.349 batting line since retiring his catcher's mitt, and although he's hit six home runs, only one of those has come since April 15. His season-long slump resulted in Yankees manager Joe Girardi penciling his name into the No. 9 spot in the batting order for Saturday's game. Only, Posada decided he would rather not play at all than hit at the bottom of the order. OK, he actually first tried to tell us that he asked out of the lineup due to a back injury, but it was clear at that point he was just doing damage control after reports surfaced that he was "insulted" by the move down in the order and that he "threw a hissy fit" in Girardi's office.

It appears things have been smoothed over, as Posada apologized to Girardi before Sunday's game and was also slated to have a talk with GM Brian Cashman at some point. The DH is now simply chalking the whole thing up as having a bad day, and although he wasn't in the lineup again Sunday, it appears that was mainly because Girardi simply preferred Andruw Jones against dynamite lefty Jon Lester.

We all know that things tend to get built up to be bigger than they are when it involves anyone wearing the pinstripes, and that is no different here. But, the reality is that Posada's job security isn't that safe anymore. The Yankees got good news recently on Eric Chavez, who should be back sooner than originally expected, and he, along with Jones, give the Yanks two other veteran DH options. There's also Jesus Montero, who is tearing it up at Triple-A.

Ultimately, Jorge needs to focus on improving that .165 batting average rather than worry about his feelings being hurt.

And now, the rest of the Daily Dose…

* When Jose Bautista came out of nowhere to belt 54 home runs last season, most people fell into two camps when evaluating his future.

1) Those that dismissed the season as a fluke and felt he would come crashing back to earth.2) Those that felt the season was legitimate, but thought he had no shot to ever approach that kind of lofty total again.

But, here's a crazy thought: What if he is actually this good?

Bautista hit three more over the boards Sunday, giving him 16 on the season – three more than anyone else in baseball. And it's not just the longball, as Bautista is currently leading the league with his .368 batting mark, and he's also striking out less and walking a lot more. He's here to stay, folks.

* Chipper Jones is dealing with knee problems again, and this time it's not the one that he had surgically repaired that's giving him issues.

Jones missed a few games late last month with soreness in his right knee, and he was a late scratch from Sunday's lineup after complaining of lingering pain in the knee. Come to find out, he actually has a small meniscus tear and will miss at least a handful of games. The Braves are hopeful that a cortisone shot will be enough to calm the knee down, but, given Chipper's past injury woes, as well as his age, we can't be so sure. It's possible he'll need a scope of the knee, which would sideline him for 2-3 weeks.

* Aroldis Chapman had his worst meltdown yet Sunday, as he walked four batters – including one with the bases loaded – while recording just one out in the win over the Cardinals. Just five of his 23 pitches went for strikes. He's now handed out 12 free passes over his last 1 1/3 innings.

Reds manager Dusty Baker has stated previously that sending Chapman down to the minors wasn't an option, but it might be time to reconsider. The guy obviously has a golden arm, but he needs to find his command and confidence right now, and doing it at the major league level probably isn't the best thing for him.

National League Quick Hits:Albert Pujols could require a precautionary X-ray Monday after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch Sunday, but the Cardinals suspect it's just a bruise … The Reds will go with a rotation in left field moving forward, with Jonny Gomes, Chris Heisey and Fred Lewis all seeing action … Colby Rasmus sat out Sunday with pain below his right rib cage. He'll be evaluated Monday, but the Cardinals don't think it's serious … Jason Heyward is hoping to return to the starting lineup Tuesday after testing out his shoulder Sunday by hitting off a tee … Brad Lidge is hoping to throw off a mound this week. He's shooting for a mid-June return from his shoulder injury … Chase Utley looks to be in line to return by the end of May if he continues to progress. The Phillies plan to monitor his playing time closely upon his arrival … Jose Contreras will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday and should rejoin the Phils bullpen soon. He might not regain his closer role immediately, though … Brandon Beachy is expected to miss at least a month with his oblique injury. Julio Teheran is expected to replace him in the rotation, but Teheran would probably make just two starts this month due to off days … Shane Victorino is expected to miss a few more days with a hamstring injury but is likely to avoid a DL stint … Randy Flores has opted out of his minor league deal with the Padres. The Yankees reportedly may have some interest in him … The Cubs are considering demoting the struggling Tyler Colvin to Triple-A in order to give him regular playing time.

American League Quick Hits: The Twins' Jose Mijares has landed on the disabled list with a sore elbow … Mark Teahen will test out his oblique before Monday's game before the White Sox decide whether or not he needs a trip to the disabled list … The A's plan to bench Hideki Matsui for all interleague games played in National League parks … Josh Hamilton will have a CT scan on his shoulder Wednesday and could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment that night … Andrew Bailey had a successful extended spring training appearance Saturday and is likely to start a rehab assignment this week … Grady Sizemore hasn't played since last Tuesday due to his knee injury, but the Indians remain optimistic he can avoid a stint on the DL … Tsuyoshi Nishioka is slated to begin a rehab assignment soon, but he's expected to need at least 10 rehab games before rejoining the Twins … Mariners manager Eric Wedge will stick with Brandon League as his closer for the time being despite League blowing each of his last four opportunities … Nelson Cruz was able to test out his quad by running the bases for the second straight day Sunday. He'll begin a rehab assignment Monday before returning later this week … Julio Borbon will miss at least the next two weeks with a hamstring injury. Endy Chavez has been called up and will start in center field against right-handed pitching … Adam Lind hasn't played since May 7 due to a back injury and, although it appears he'll avoid the DL, it's not clear when he'll return to the lineup.

Ryan Boyer is a baseball writer for Rotoworld. He can also be found on Twitter.Email :Ryan Boyer